Teleepoch's Qualcomm-powered WMDP gesture phone in action

It might not look like much, but it really isn't. The new handset prototype from Teleepoch is a flip phone with a miniscule display cut-out and nothing else of note. All functionality is controlled by tilting the phone up and down to scroll through menus and shaking the handset a particular direction to drill in and out of menu options. There's voice control for inputting numbers and quick-dialing, and everything of note is powered by a new "wearable device" WMDP chip design from Qualcomm that integrates the phone radio, processor and accelerometer into a board about the size of a quarter. With this few elements (the only pure mechanical interaction with the phone is the hinge), the handset should be dirt cheap, but it's difficult to say if anyone will actually want to use it when it's released later this year. Check out a video of an early version after the break.

Teleepoch's Qualcomm-powered WMDP gesture phone in action

[007 Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:19PM]

nothing

[eminisp Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:21PM]

Will Ferrels phone in the SNL skits

[dingus Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:05PM]

@eminisp Zoolander will be thrilled.

[maddawg579 Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:22PM]

Why?
No one wants that. Who want's to speak a phone number? At least give the person the choice to speak or dial. Don't only offer the one that is used 1% of the time.

Sometimes I don't understand the reasoning that some people have.

[Icehawk Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:23PM]

I love the size/form factor for a pure phone - but the "gestures" suck. Just give it decent VR and a few flush mounted buttons. Remember when new phones were smaller in size than the old ones???

[maddawg579 Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:32PM]

@Icehawk
Smaller is sooo 2006. Now it's all about screen size and raw power.

[Playa93 Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:27PM]

"And then you shake it this way, then that way,..."
The screen doesn't even change...

And wtf ? It's like we're going back in time...

[RioRyan Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:34PM]

Congratulations to the first phone with less buttons than the iPhone

[Anphaser Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:46PM]

Not very practical I think. Who in their right mind would buy this? Who designed it? Small, yes. Sleek, ok. But not very practical.

[vampyren Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:41PM]

@Anphaser : totally agree. I think i would smash it out of frustration pretty quick :)

[KC Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:54PM]

Ericsson made phones smaller then that in 2002. Panasonic and Samsung have both made phones with bigger colour screens and full keypads that small years ago as well.

There is no point to this device other then as a technology demonstrator and I doubt any OEM will release it.

[Plexus Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:57PM]

Well, if nobody wants to use it I wouldn't mind giving it a try.

[musicssound Posted Jan 8th 2010 6:23PM]

@Plexus
agreed. I'm undecided whether to get this or a smartphone. This seems to be a heck of a lot easier to finance (hello negative rebates), and I would dig no one texting me anymore. Qualcomm working on CDMA I probably wouldn't even have to switch providers. I think I just talked myself out of getting an iPhone. Wow.

[BeniRose Posted Jan 8th 2010 6:20PM]

While I don't think this actually serves a good purpose as a usable phone, it's cool to see devices like this just to see which companies are thinking outside the box. I'd love to see more concept phones that really are just other-worldly, because eventually one of them will be an extremely great idea!

[Stiksi Posted Jan 8th 2010 7:31PM]

This has carpal tunnel syndrome written all over it… it's just so small you can't really read it.

…I'll get me coat.

[FitFan Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:08PM]

So ... it isn't not much?

[Tagbert Posted Jan 9th 2010 2:45AM]

I just keep reading it as Telepooch. Here boy!

[mustard Posted Jan 9th 2010 4:31AM]

How do you answer a phone call? By shaking? Hellooo pocket answering

[z00york Posted Jan 9th 2010 8:03AM]

Blind people maybe?

[Alaind Posted Jan 9th 2010 9:21AM]

This is a girl phone...And probably a blonde one too !